Nutrient Deficiency Clematis

/Nutrient Deficiency Clematis/

Nutrient Deficiency Clematis

This is not an infectious disease, but probably a nutrient deficiency. Just to be sure (although it appears doubtful from your photo) examine the underside of the leaves for any insects or fungal-type growth which can sometimes cause plant leaves to turn yellow, and send us a new picture if you find anything. Otherwise, your plant appears to be suffering from lack of essential nutrients. Sometimes over or under watering can cause this lack of nutrients because the roots become damaged from a water stress situation and can't function properly to pull up water and dissolved mineral nutrients. We recommend watering your clematis regularly (or when rainfall is not suffecient) to maintain an evenly moist soil, and you may need to fertilize regularly as well. We recommend you ask your local garden center for a fertililzer appropriate for this plant, and follow the label directions for application of the material.

By | 2016-03-09T11:38:49-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Powis Castle Artemisia

'Powis Castle' is a selection of this gray-leaved shrub that has finely divided leaves. An invaluable foliage plant, 'Powis Castle' is unique in carrying multi-branched stems of silver filigree foliage, which acts as a superb foil to medium-sized flowering perennials such as pinks or scabiosa. This plant's silvery, lacy foliage is an outstanding accent plant in the flower garden, it is an ideal complement to blue and purple flowering plants, and a useful buffer between flowering plants of non-compatible colors. Forms dense rounded mounds, and tolerates hot, humid weather better than most artemisias. Well-drained soil is essential for winter survival in colder climates. This artemisia benefits from periodic shearing to keep stems full and dense. Foliage stays on in the winter garden; cut back hard in early spring when new growth appears along the stems. Considered deer-resistant once mature.

By | 2016-03-09T11:01:08-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Winter Injury

This damage is not caused by an infectious disease, but probably caused by a harsh winter, therefore its called winter injury. You can check to see if the branches are still alive by cutting one or two stems about 3 inches below the existing buds. Look for healthy, green or off white tissue that is not brittle. If you find healthy tissue, you can cut the plant back just a bit (removing the dead leaves and buds) to encourage new growth. If the plant does not require the amount of water its currently exposed to, we suggest you move the plant to another location just before or immediately after pruning, apply an all purpose fertilizer, used according to label directions, and water appropriately for the plants needs. This will help to initiate new growth and a healthy root system. If you find brown or brittle tissue when pruning the plant its probably dead, or at least too far gone to generate new growth.

By | 2016-03-09T10:21:32-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Mealybugs

Your infestation is likely mealybugs, especially if they have a cottony, fuzzy appearance and feel sticky. Mealybugs suck the nutrients out of the plant and will eventually kill it if left untreated. The black residue that you see is the result of the honey dew that the insect secretes. A mold then grows on top of the honeydew and that is called Black Sooty Mold. The sooty mold won't harm the plant unless it is excessive and prohibits the plant from photosynthesizing. You could try to wipe the insects and the leaves off with a damp cloth dipped in alcohol and follow with a spray of insecticidal soap or pyrethrin by following the directions on the label. You can also spray with an organic control containing Spinosad that has a 7-10 day residual. Spinosad should be sprayed in the early evening after the bees have returned to their hives. Once the spray has dried, it is safe for beneficials.

By | 2016-03-09T07:16:04-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Aphids And More

The insect infestation are likely aphids as well as "honeydew" which is the sticky substance that is the result of the excretions from the insects. In time this sticky substance may lead to the development of black sooty mold, a mold that forms as a result of the excretions from aphids, scale, scale and other sucking insects. Aphids come in many different colors. They are a sucking insect, born with 150 live babies inside of them. They are relatively easy to control, first with a firm spray of water. Once they are off they can not get back onto the host plant. However, they DO have a ferocious reproductive cycle and can multiply very quickly if not kept in check. The use of insecticidal soap spray is one method to get rid of aphids. And keep in mind, iif you use a strong chemical pesticide, it has the potential to not only to kill the aphids, but any beneficial insects close by such as lady bugs. Just plain water is pretty effective, if you do it every day.

By | 2016-03-09T06:06:33-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Maple

Looks like a Maple species ? The common term for this symptom is "flagging" (chunks of branches in a central spot dead as if torched by flame) . Flagging is caused by a) root damage on a particular side of the root system ; b) disease like FireBlight (bacterial) from airborne spores or Verticillium Wilt (fungal) from soil born spores/hype..

FireBlight is more common to the Pears & Crabs (Prunus & Malus spp.).

This may well be Verticillium Wilt , vascular/systemic, no chemical cure. Best prevention is abundant organic matter in soils. Which means adding a good organic compost, simply by mulching. For confirmation of diagnosis: a dead branch can pruned off. Then you can SLIGHTLY sliver bark , like peeling a potato, to reveal vascular cambium tissue. It will show brown/black coloration ( it may also smell bad). There is no cure other than adding organic matter & pruning out dead stuff but it is coming in through the roots.

By | 2016-03-09T05:13:36-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Seven Year Apple

This evergreen shrub or small tree is one of Florida's most exceptional native, salt-tolerant plants (Fig. 1). It grows up to the first dune near the ocean. The beautiful, glossy, leathery foliage is clustered near the branch tips. The Seven Year Apple has axillary clusters of white, pink-tipped flowers that emerge in the spring and early summer. These flowers are approximately 1-inch long and have a very sweet, heavy fragrance. Seven-Year Apple has large lemon-shaped fruits that may persist for more than a year. The fruits are green when they first appear and gradually turn yellow and ripen in about one year. Yellow fruits then turn black and become wrinkled. The dark brown pulp inside the black fruits is edible but is filled with many seeds and taste like licorice. This pulp is very appealing to the Mockingbirds, and they hollow out the ripe fruits and leave the empty skins hanging on the plant.

By | 2016-03-09T01:52:54-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Tropical Plants|0 Comments
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Eye Gnats

Its very hard to say for sure what this insect is, but maybe you can confirm or deny our best guess, based on what we can see of the insect. Could this be an Eye Gnat? The only clue is the white markings on the wings... at least that's what we think we're seeing in this photo. They are very small fly-like insects (you know - gnats) that have been an issue in organic gardens because they breed and develop in moist, well-drained sandy soils with abundant organic matter. They are pests of people and animals, not plants. They are good flyers but they also get blown long distances by the wind. They love the So Cal climate and can sometimes breed year round. We've included a link from the Univ of CA about them and some control measures. Sounds like its a challenge to control them so if you continue to have trouble you may want to get someone from the UC extension farm advisors office to come out and talk with you.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74164.html

By | 2016-03-09T01:27:12-08:00 March 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Poison Ivy

This looks like poison ivy. The adage "leaves of 3, let it be" is important for poison ivy because it can be a shrub or a woody vine. Sometimes the leaves are jagged and sometimes not - tricky little plant, right? Found most everywhere, it adapts to sun or shade conditions, various soil types, as well as wet or dry environments and can have different leaf shapes. When the plant is young, its stems are a light reddish-green to red and can be hairy or hairless. When the plant matures more, the stems become brown and woody. In the summer, the leaves tend to have a shiny coat, making it difficult to spray with a product to kill it. Also forms tiny flowers in the summer followed by berries. If it is growing in your garden, we suggest you dig it out and wear gloves. Dispose in the trash, not a compost pile, and do not burn as the toxins will become airborne. Go to http://www.poison-ivy.org/ for more information.

By | 2016-03-08T23:02:40-08:00 March 8th, 2016|Weeds|0 Comments
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Dracaena Problem

There could be one or more of several reasons why the leaves are turning brown: make sure when watering (about once every 7 days) that the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle before watering again (but no drier) and that the water drains out without allowing the plant to sit in water (if there is a saucer under the plant and it is sitting in the water after watering, then this may lead to root rot and leaf edge browning); feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants; the potting soil should be a well-draining commercial potting soil or cactus potting soil (sterile and well-draining); needs bright, indirect light. Finally, if the leaves continue to brown, suggest you switch to steam iron water - many houseplants come from the rainforest and are sensitive to the salts in tap water. There could also be some disease issues. Here is more info: http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/qa-leaf-spots-on-dracaena/index.html

By | 2016-03-08T22:56:41-08:00 March 8th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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